Three hurt in France after driver rams car into Chinese students
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}French authorities say a man with "psychiatric" problems deliberately drove a car into a group of students near the southwestern city of Toulouse Friday.
Toulouse prosecutor Pierre-Yves Couilleau told reporters that three students were injured on Friday when the motorist drove into the group, near a university campus in the city of Blagnac.
Couilleau said the driver claimed he acted deliberately and was arrested. Sky News reported the suspect told police he “heard voices telling him to hurt someone” before he was taken into custody.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An attempted murder investigation has been opened, Couilleau said.
The prosecutor said the driver was known to police for about 10 minor crimes and not listed on a French register of people suspected of being radicalized by extremists.
The case was not been referred to France's counterterrorism prosecutors.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}According to two police officials, the suspect was born in 1989 and known to suffer from a psychiatric disorder. The officials said he lived near the university.
The three people hurt are Chinese students ages 22 and 23, police officials said. Two were taken to a hospital with injuries that were considered serious, but not life-threatening. The third suffered more minor injuries.
The police officials requested anonymity because they were not allowed to speak publicly about an ongoing investigation.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Toulouse region's daily newspaper, LaDepeche, said the three students were in Blagnac for a French-Chinese program at a private business school.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.